Jeff Elbel has been around. As a member of Farewell to Juliet, he has played the New Band Showcase stage at Cornerstone twice. He has done session work with Blackball and LSU. He has written and recorded with Sunny Day Roses and EDL. He has produced Thee Spivies, Officer Negative, Mike Knott, Brian Healy, and the Hopescope.
Now, he has formed another band, Ping, and released an acoustic project called No Outlet. Elbel claims King's X, the 77's, and VoL as influences, but this album is tinged more with a 70's feel, probably due to its acoustic nature. "Radio Flyer," the first song, could be a Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young tune. "Here Comes the Sunburn" sounds like a cross between Neil Young and Jethro Tull. At other times, Elbel's vocals, combined with that of Carolyn Kay, approach those of Fleetwood Mac. "The Crawl," an instrumental, also is reminiscent of Jethro Tull, probably due to the flutework of Ginger Gonzalez. Tracks 3 through 7 make up the "Meet Your Maker" suite, five songs that will appear on the next Ping album. The highlight here is "Miracle Rain." It will be interesting to hear these songs fully fleshed out with electric guitars on the upcoming release. The acoustic version recalls 70's era band Rising Hope.
Elbel has designated the profits from No Outlet to serve as a benefit to the Gene Eugene Memorial Fund, and Habitat for Humanity. If you like acoustic music, harmonies, and a variety of instruments, buy this CD.
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Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #93Reviewed by Dan MacIntoshEver since the Beatles and the birth of the concept album, consumers have become accustomed to holding extremely high expectations for each new album release. In truth, many albums are never as preconceived as we might expect them to be. Instead, most albums are comprised of the best songs that happen to fit together in one package. Take this new Jeff Elbel + Ping release, for example. What began…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Dave KerschbaumIt started out simple enough: record an EP to have ready at a benefit concert. However, band personnel changes forced Jeff Elbel (formerly of Farewell to Juliet and Sunny Day Roses) to postpone the project. Long story short, the four-song EP that Elbel and friends planned to have ready for last September's concert to benefit Gene Eugene never materialized. Instead, Elbel and his heavily-populated…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Chris MacIntoshI had been familiar with the work that Jeff Elbel had done in the past with Farewell To Juliet and had enjoyed it sufficiently enough to check out this debut project by his new band Ping. They had a tune on the Daniel Amos tribute disc, so I kind of knew what to expect. I can honestly say that this is a thoroughly enjoyable album. From what I understand, this is somewhat of a teaser for a fully…Similar sounding releases
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